Wheel



Aprll 12, 1927. F. DE LUCA.

WHEEL Filed Sebi. 25, 19H

""--WIIAI r Y if'ibiation.

Patented Apr. l2, 1927.

`UNITED STATES FRANCISCO DE LUCA, or sAN-TIAG'oZDE cHiLE, Giuria Y, Mwrrniim.

`Application led .Septei'nber This invention refers to an elastic wheel,Y

which has many advantages compared with the wheels usedat present, and which avoids many disadvantages vof the present wheels, as explained lateron. Y

The wheels used at present for railways,

-inotor cars,` animal drawn cars, etc., are

rigid wheels, not elasticwheels, which have many disadvantages, lsubjecting both tracks andY cars tovexcessive wea-rand tear and 'making moreover the traveling in the cars hard and' disagreeable, especially on bad roads.

The elastic wheel of Vmy invention avoidsY all these disadvantages, being elastic, useful and light andv above all safe and economical.

1With V,my elastic wheel injury to railway lines and damage to the 'cars them-selves are avoided for the following reason: K

Atpresent the Jump o'f a car when passing over a joint ofthe rails produces a short(v heavy vibrationin view of the fact thatthe vibration is only taken up from the springs upwards. But from the springs to the rails are several to'iis'of.unsprung weight which produce after every jump a heavy short This is obviated inthe use of my elastic wheel -since the deadweight which remains consists only of vthe weightof Athe rim of the wheel, which Vnever exceeds from -to 60 kilograms. With my elastic wheelV even .motor carI'accidents*are avoided, for' the following reason:

Regardless of whether the wheel is prof` not to mention the change speed gear. My

r elastic. wheel does away with the need for all special apparatus Vor buffers for the purpose of taking up heavy shocks, without the risk of breaking springs and axles and ob- V taining at the same timeV smooth riding.

Many advantages are obtained by the application of my elastic wheel to animal-drawn cars, through their low initial cost and easy adaption, and more work cany be gotten out of the animal as it is possible to lower the proportional-weight of the car the entire load to 50 per cent of the original present prohalf in section showing 25, 1924.."seria1 No. 739,905. y*

portionalwveight. In one word,'the benefits obtained with the applicationof my elastic wheel are numerous owing to' the 'fact-:that

itis firmlight, useful and cheap;

In; dILWingS; I.

Fig; l is aside view half in elevation vand 'Y a single embodiment ofthe present invention.

in the line of the bolts.

Fic'. 2 isa diametrical cross section taken Referring now in detail to the several fig-v ures the wheel is composed'of the. iron rim l' adapted for use with either a pneumatic tire orfor a simple cushion tire. yJoined to the `rim is an undulating circumferential resilient member 2 having a number of depressions, in the present instance 6, serving v as seats for .the broad ends lof ovoid leaf springs 3 ltaking the place of the usual wooden spokes of an ordinary wheel bent in the form of so many half moons as the wheel has rings, which may ber any desirable number,v for instancel six. made of hardened steel blades, the samekind of steel as isfused for clock springs, and

actly insideV the other blade. The' thickness of the leaves'inust -be in'relation to the weight-and kind ofthe car. F or instance,

'for light small cars for four passengers springs Vwith from four .to .five"leaves"eacli," 5 centimeti'es. broad and one milliineti'e thick may be used for the spokes witlia diameter in relation to the size of the wheelnsed.VV vFor big motor', 'cars and. heavy motor trucks,V`

These rings 3 are "se Y several blades areused foreachy ring, each blade being of one piece, and one blade exleaves from six'to eight and ten centimetres y broad and from 1`- to V11/2, 2 vand 3 millimetres thick may lbe used, and fortramways, railways, etc., the leaves will be much broader and thicker.

The steel must be always thin in order to give it elasticity and security, and in order to give itmoreror less resistance itis only necessary to put more or less steelhblades in each ring. These ovoid springs have their 'rotund ends seated in the depressions of the undulating member 2 and their pointed ends directed toward the center. They are round outside the wheel, and take an oval form when forced inside the wheel, which form gives them thenecessary.

elasticity and an .expansion-,force of each ring against the others,l holding them firmly in place. A star shaped hub 4l is also held in place by the expansive` pressure of the ovoidl springs, thevpointed ends of which engage peripheralV sea-ts in said hub.V This hub may be of stamped steel in order to lighten the construction of the wheel.` The elasticity of the wheelis at all times dis-V tributed among all the springs.

When the weight of the car "loads the spring which is immediately below the axle, the spring expands towards the-sides, and in order to, be able to expand, it has to push against tliertwo springs at its sides, which push against the neXt springs, until the pressure has been transmitted to the spring which is immediately over the axle, which takes a more oval ferm, expanding upwards and downwards, to the sides, so that the springs keep'the wave of force transmission shifting from. one spring td another through the There will be little wearY series of springs. and tear for the spring and undulating member *are not secured together but are in a state of lioating contact so that they do not-often make mutual contact at the same points..

wheel with discs will be in the follow-Y` ing form There will be'two discs lOliXed relative -to the. hub with, adiameter a little greater than the hub, fixed in place by nuts 6, and

the retain-ing bolts 5; saidV bolts touch the inside of the ovoid springs andfserve as a stop to prevent their bodily movement outwardly.. The rest olf the wheel will be covered by two annular disc-pieces 11 Ywhich 'telescope overl the discs 10 andare fixed to movement permissible between the wheel parts. A Y

iaving now fully described the nature of my invention and its application, what l claim as my property is:

l. A resilientA wheel comprising a rim and a hub, an undulating spring member arranged circumferentially within said rim, leaf spring rings of oVoid shape having the broad ends seated in the undulations of said spring member and yieldingly coacting therewith under deformation of said rings, the apices of said rings being seated 'in snitable depressions in said hub. Y

2. A resilient wheel comprising a rim and a hub, an undulating spring member arranged circuniferentially within said ring, leaf spring rings of' ovoidshape having the rbroad ends seated in the undulations Vof said spring member, and yieldingly coacting therewith under deformation of said rings, said rings being arranged for free sliding lateral Contact. Y

3. A resilient wheel as claimed in claim 2 in which the apices of said rings are seated in suitableA depressions in the hub.

4t. A resilient wheel comprising a rim and a hub, leaf spring rings of ovoid shape having the broad ends seated yadjacent the rim and their apices seated adjacentsaid hub,va casing comprising an annular part carried by said rim and a central part carried by said hub,.the` walls of said parts freely telescopic in an Y intermediate` zone, bolts passing through said annular part bearing against the. inner surfaces of said ringsat their broad ends, and bolts passing through said' central part bearing against the inner surfaces of said rings adjacent their api'ces, said rings being otherwise freely tioatably mounted with respect to each yother and to said casing.

In testimony whereof l haveV signed my name to this specification.

rannosoo nn LUCA'.` e 

